SyriaObama considering deploying U.S. troops inside Syria, closer to front lines with ISIS

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and other top national security officials have presented President Barack Obama with their recommendation to move U.S. ground troops into areas in Syria and Iraq, and have them assume battlefield-related roles, which would likely bring them into direct contact with Islamic State militants.

The Washington Post reports that the proposals reflect a growing recognition that the strategy the United States has pursued against ISIS so far has failed to deliver satisfactory results.

Carter’s proposal call for deploying a limited number of Special Operations forces on the ground in Syria and put U.S. advisers closer to the firefights in Iraq.

The introduction of U.S. Special Forces into Syria for a sustained period of time would represent a break with the president’s policies and preferences. Special Forces have already engaged in several operations inside Syria since 2011, but typically these were quick-in-and-out forays triggered by tactical developments rather than strategic designs.

The Post notes that proposed Special Operations forces would work with moderate Syrian Arab rebels and some Kurdish groups, such as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, which have proved effective in recent battles against the Islamic State.

Other, more costly and ambitious proposals were considered, among them no-fly zones or buffer zones, but they received no support from top administration national security officials. To be effectively implemented, these options would require tens of thousands of troops and would also run the risk of direct conflict with Russian and Iranian forces now operating in Syria.

The Pentagon’s preferred option is not without risks. Sending U.S. troops into areas close to the front lines would likely result in American casualties, and growing U.S collaboration with the Syrian Kurds is not going to be welcomed by Turkey.